Portable fitness systems, and applications thereof

ABSTRACT

In at least one embodiment, a method includes receiving a description of a route of interest to a user, in response to receiving the description, generating a prospective route based on the description, providing a graphical element corresponding to the prospective route to the user, and scheduling a traversal of the prospective route in a user training plan.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/932,202, filed Oct. 31, 2007, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/857,862, filed Sep. 19, 2007, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,805,149, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/759,289, filed Jan. 16, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,292,867,which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 60/440,519,filed Jan. 16, 2003. These applications are hereby incorporated hereinby reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to portable fitness systems, andapplications thereof.

2. Related Art

As Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has matured,location-aware electronics have been integrated into a number ofdifferent mobile platforms, such as automobiles, mobile telephones,two-way radios, and hand-held GPS receivers, in order to providelocation-based information. U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,007 to Root et al.,which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses that a GPS receivermay additionally be implemented within an athlete's portable performancemonitor to enable the performance monitor to record and to present theathlete with accurate performance information, such as distance traveledand pace.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method includingreceiving a description of a route of interest to a user, in response toreceiving the description, generating a prospective route based on thedescription, providing a graphical element corresponding to theprospective route to the user, and scheduling a traversal of theprospective route in a user training plan.

Embodiments of the present invention also relate to a method forgenerating a route of interest to a user including receiving adescription of a route of interest to a user, wherein the descriptionincludes at least a desired terminal point, in response to receiving thedescription, generating a first prospective route based on thedescription, displaying the first prospective route to the user, andscheduling a traversal of the first prospective route in a training planof the user.

Embodiments of the present invention further relate to a computerprogram product including computer-useable medium having computerprogram logic recorded thereon that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, provides route information to a user, the computer programlogic including first computer readable program code that enables aprocessor to receive a description of a route of interest to a user,second computer readable program code that enables a processor togenerate a prospective route based the description, third computerreadable program code that enables a processor to display a graphicalelement indicative of the prospective route to the user, and fourthcomputer readable program code that enables a processor to schedule atraversal of the route in a training plan of the user.

Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the present invention,as well as the structure and operation of the various embodiments of thepresent invention, are described in detail below with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. However, the invention, as well as apreferred mode of use, will best be understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary environment in which thepresent invention may be practiced;

FIG. 2A is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative portable fitnessdevice in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a layer diagram of an exemplary software configuration of aportable fitness device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a layer diagram of an illustrative software configuration of aserver computer system providing an automated web-based routegeneration, route journaling and route visualization service inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4A depicts an exemplary graphical user interface of a route wizardthrough which a remote user may build a route, search for a route withina route database, and select routes within a predetermined trainingplan;

FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary route wizard graphical user interfacethrough which a user may enter parameters and attributes of a new route;

FIG. 4C depicts an exemplary route wizard graphical user interfacethrough which a user may search a route database for an existing route;

FIG. 4D illustrates an exemplary route wizard graphical user interfacethat presents a navigable geographical map populated with graphicalindications of locations for which preexisting maps are stored withinthe route database;

FIG. 4E depicts an exemplary route wizard graphical user interfacewithin which a user may identify a selected route for detailed viewing;

FIG. 4F depicts an exemplary route wizard graphical user interface thatpresents a detailed description of a route and permits the user toupload the route to a portable fitness device;

FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface of a trainingjournal through which a user may view routes traversed with a portablefitness device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5B depicts an exemplary graphical user interface of a trainingjournal entry detailing a particular route traversed with a portablefitness device in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface of a trainingjournal entry showing a route view in which multiple route and/orperformance parameters are concurrently graphically presented in abanded format along a route path.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the figures, and in particular with reference toFIG. 1, there is depicted an exemplary embodiment of an environment inwhich the methods, systems, and program products of the presentinvention may advantageously be practiced. In particular, FIG. 1illustrates an environment 10 in which a location-aware portable fitnessdevice 12 is utilized by an athlete 14 while engaged in a fitnessactivity, such as running, cycling, hiking, skiing, etc.

As shown, environment 10 includes a constellation of earth-orbitingglobal positioning system (GPS) satellites 20. As is known in the art,GPS satellites 20 continuously emit GPS signals 22, which enableGPS-equipped devices, such as portable fitness device 12, tocontinuously determine their position, velocity, and bearing as long asa sufficient number of GPS satellites 20 can be acquired.

Environment 10 further includes a wireless wide-area network (WAN)communication system including a plurality of geographically distributedcellular telephone towers 30 and base station systems (BSS) 32 (only oneof each is illustrated for simplicity). Cellular telephone tower 30includes one or more antennae 34 supporting long range two-way radiofrequency communication with mobile telephones and other wirelessdevices, such as portable fitness device 12. The radio frequencycommunication between antennae 34 and portable fitness device 12 mayutilize radio frequency signals 36 conforming to any known or futuredeveloped wireless protocol, for example, CDMA, GSM, EDGE, 3G, etc. Theinformation transmitted over-the-air by BSS 32 and cellularcommunication tower 30 to portable fitness device 12 may be furthertransmitted to or received from one or more additional circuit-switchedor packet-switched communication networks, including, for example, theInternet 40.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, Internet 40 is a worldwidecollection of servers, routers, switches and transmission lines thatemploy the Internet Protocol (IP) to communicate data. For example,Internet 40 may be employed to communicate data between any of servercomputer system 42, client computer system 44, and portable fitnessdevice 12. For example, as described further below, Internet 40 may beutilized to communicate to portable fitness device 12 route informationfrom a route database 52 stored within data storage 50 associated withserver computer system 42. Similarly, portable fitness device 12 maytransmit route and performance information to server computer system 42for storage in training journal database 54 via Internet 40, BSS 32, andcellular communication tower 30. In addition, a user stationed at aremote client computer system 44, for example, athlete 14 or a remotetrainer, may access real-time or historical performance informationregarding the training of athlete 14 via server computer system 42 andInternet 40.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, there is illustrated a high-level blockdiagram of an exemplary implementation of portable training device 12 inaccordance with the present invention. As illustrated, portable trainingdevice 12 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 60 that controls theoperation of portable fitness device 12 in accordance with clientsoftware 154 described further below with respect to FIG. 2B. As shown,CPU 60 is coupled, either directly or indirectly to a variety ofdifferent components within portable fitness device 12. For example,portable fitness device 12 includes an internal memory device 62 forstoring the client software, as well as various route, performance andenvironmental information regarding a training activity of athlete 14.The storage provided by internal memory device 62 may be furtheraugmented by a removable storage medium inserted within removable memoryslot 64 and/or dedicated audio storage 66 for storing audio data. Theaudio data may include, for example, music tracks encoded in MP3 format,synthesized human speech tracks, voice annotations by athlete 14recorded via an internal or external microphone 68, as well as otheraudio data.

In addition to microphone 68, portable fitness device 12 may include anumber of other input/output (I/O) devices. For example, portablefitness device 12 may include one or more manually manipulable inputbuttons 80 that permit athlete 14 to annotate a route while athlete 14is traversing the route and/or to enter desired settings of portablefitness device 12. Portable fitness device 12 may also include a speaker82 and display 84 through which portable fitness device 12 may presentreal-time performance information (e.g., elapsed distance, elapsed time,pace, distance to go, heart rate, etc.), turn-by-turn directions,real-time remote training recommendations, and other information ineither an audio or visual format.

Portable fitness device 12 is equipped with a power supply 90 thatpowers CPU 60 and the other components of portable fitness device 12.Power supply 90 includes a battery and may further have an associatedpower port 92 through which the battery may be charged from an AC powersource. Alternatively, the battery within power supply 90 may be chargedutilizing a wireless inductive charging device, as is known in the art.

Portable fitness device 12 further includes a GPS receiver 100 andassociated GPS antenna 102 that receive GPS signals 22 from GPSsatellites 20. GPS receiver 100 processes GPS signals 22 to present toCPU 60 time-stamped waypoints, which include at least a time, alatitude, and a longitude. If at least four GPS satellites 20 have beenacquired, the time-stamped waypoints presented to CPU 60 by GPS receiver100 preferably farther include an elevation. As discussed further below,the time and position information supplied by GPS receiver 100 isutilized by client software 154 running on CPU 60 to build a record of aroute traversed by athlete 14 and to determine performance information(e.g., elapsed distance, elapsed time, pace, distance to go, heart rate,etc.) regarding the athlete's traversal of the route.

Portable training device 12 supports two-way wireless WAN communicationwith cellular telephone tower 30 with WAN wireless transceiver 104 andits associated antenna 106. As known to those skilled in the art, WANwireless transceiver 104 includes a receiver for receiving radiofrequency signals 36 and a transmitter for transmitting radio frequencysignals 36. As discussed in greater detail below, radio frequencysignals 36 may include route information transmitted to portable fitnessdevice 12, route and performance information transmitted from portablefitness device 12, settings for portable fitness device 12, and one ortwo-way voice communication (e.g., a voice conversation between athlete14 and a remote trainer stationed at remote client computer 44). Thedata sent and received by WAN wireless transceiver 104 may alternativelybe communicated via an optional data port 108, which may employ shortrange wired or wireless communication (e.g., RS-232 or infrared).

In order to support communication with other electronics within closerange, portable fitness device 12 may be further equipped with one ormore local wireless interface(s) 110 and associated antennae 112. Forexample, local wireless interface(s) may include interfaces for 802.11x,Bluetooth, 900 mHz communication or the like. Utilizing suchtechnologies, portable fitness device 12 may communicate with or sensedata from a heart rate monitor 120, headphones 122, shoes 124, and awatch 126 worn by athlete 14 during a fitness activity. In this manner,portable fitness device 12 may gather information regarding athlete 14,such as his/her heart rate and body temperature, and if the athlete'sshoes 124 are equipped with an RFID tag, the shoes 124 worn during thefitness activity. Portable fitness device 12 may similarly present tothe user performance, directional and training information via watch 126and headphones 122.

Of course, in alternative embodiments, portable fitness device 12 maysense or communicate with particular devices utilizing wired or wirelessinterfaces. For example, microphone 68 may alternatively be incorporatedwithin wireless headphones 122, and heart rate monitor 120 mayalternatively be coupled to CPU 60 via a wired interface. Thus, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate from the block diagram provided inFIG. 2A, that any number of internal or external devices and sensors,such as temperature and barometric pressure sensor 130, may be coupledto CPU 60 via either wired or wireless interfaces. In this manner,client software running on CPU 60 may associate with the time andposition information provided by GPS receiver 100 various data ofinterest regarding athlete 14, his/her environment and the route beingtraversed. The data may be stored locally by portable fitness device 12,for example, within internal memory device 62, or transmittedover-the-air by WAN wireless transceiver 104, possibly in real time.

With reference now to FIG. 2B, there is illustrated a layer diagram ofan exemplary software configuration of portable fitness device 12 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated,the software configuration of portable fitness device 12 includes at alowest level an operating system (OS) 150 that provides a collection ofservices, such as thread scheduling, memory management, interrupts,etc., that may be accessed by higher-level software. Running on top ofoperating system 150 is a runtime environment 152, such as one of theJAVA or BREW runtime environments. Finally, the software configurationof portable fitness device 12 includes a portable fitness device client154 running on top of runtime environment 152. Portable fitness deviceclient 154 may be downloaded to portable fitness device 12 over-the-air,for example, via the wireless WAN and WAN wireless transceiver 104.

As illustrated, portable fitness device client 154 comprises a number ofindividual modules, each performing a′ function of portable fitnessdevice 12. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the illustratedmodules are illustrative rather than exhaustive, and that portablefitness device client 154 may include additional or alternative modulesto support or extend the functionality of portable fitness device 12.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the modules within portable fitness device client154 preferably include a number of reader modules 160-166. GPS reader160 receives from GPS receiver 100 time-stamped waypoints including atleast time, latitude and longitude information, and, depending uponimplementation and the number of GPS satellites 20 from which GPSsignals 22 were received, elevation and error information. Utilizing thetime-stamped waypoints received from GPS receiver 100, GPS reader 160calculates performance and route information for athlete 14. Forexample, GPS reader 160 may determines the start time at which a routewas begun, an elapsed time, an elapsed distance, distance remaining inthe route, elevation change, average elevation, current pace, averagepace, bearing, etc.

The remainder of readers 160-166, for example, heart rate reader 162 andannotation reader 164, similarly obtain input data and associate theinput data with a corresponding time-stamped waypoint obtained by GPSreader 160. Readers 162-166 may also perform additional calculations todetermine instantaneous, differential or cumulative quantitativecharacterizations of the route, the performance of athlete 14 or ofhis/her environment. Thus, for example, heart rate reader 162 may obtainan instantaneous heart rate reading from heart rate monitor 120,associate that heart rate reading with the time-stamped waypointobtained by GPS reader 160, and calculate an average heart rate.Similarly, annotation reader 164 may store a route annotation entered byathlete 14 via input buttons 80 or microphone 18 with a time-stampedwaypoint obtained by GPS reader 160.

The data gathered and calculated by readers 160-166 are then parsed andformatted by formatter 170 into a predetermined data format thatassociates the performance and route data with a timestamp andgeographical location. The particular data format employed by dataformatter 170 is implementation-dependent, but is preferably compact toconserve the capacity of internal memory device 62 and the bandwidth ofthe communication link between portable training device 12 and thewireless WAN. Storage capacity and wireless communication bandwidth mayfurther be conserved by applying a data compressor 172 to the formatteddata produced by data formatter 170.

After data obtained and calculated by readers 160-166 have beenformatted by data formatter 170 and optionally compressed by datacompressor 172, the data are either stored within internal memory device62 (or audio storage 66 or a removal memory loaded in removable memoryslot 64) or are transmitted over-the-air via WAN wireless transceiver104. Upload manager 174 and route and performance recorder 176 determinewhether or not to upload and/or store data locally based upon one ormore criteria, for example, whether WAN wireless transceiver 104 canacquire a connection to the wireless WAN, the available storage withininternal memory device 62, an indication of whether or not a remote useris tracking the training of athlete 14 in real-time, and/or othercriteria. If, based upon these and/or other criteria, upload manager 174decides to upload the formatted and compressed data, upload manager 174outputs the data via WAN wireless transceiver 104 and antenna 106 toclient computer system 44 and/or server computer system 42 utilizingradio frequency signals 36. Data transmitted to client computer system44 is typically graphically presented within a display device, and datatransmitted to server computer system 42 is typically stored withintraining journal database 54.

As noted above, portable training device 12 may alternatively receivedata over-the-air from the wireless WAN. In a preferred embodiment, thedata received over-the-air from the wireless WAN may include routeinformation transmitted by server computer system 42 from route database52, settings of portable fitness device 12 transmitted by servercomputer system 42 or client computer system 44, and trainingrecommendations transmitted from server computer system 42 or clientcomputer system 44. Route information, which may be identified as such,for example, by an XML header, is received, processed and stored byroute storage manager 182. The route information may be, for example,turn-by-turn directions keyed to particular geographical areas definedby a latitude and longitude range duple. By storing route information inthis format, when GPS reader 160 obtains a time-stamped waypoint fallingwithin a particular geographic area defined by a latitude and longituderange duple, audio presentation module 192 can present an audibleinstruction to athlete 14 via speaker 82 and/or headphones 122 to directathlete 14 how to traverse a desired route.

Settings data, which may be identified as such, for example, by an XMLheader, is initially received, processed, and output by datadecompressor 180 is then subsequently processed by settings manager 184.For example, settings manager 184 may utilize settings data to updatestorage locations within internal memory device 62 governing particularaspects of the operation of portable training device 12. In addition,based upon the received settings, settings manager 184 may notify uploadmanager 174 or route and performance recorder 176 to initiate upload orstorage of route and performance information.

Training recommendations received, processed and output by datadecompressor 180 are subsequently processed by training input manager186. These training recommendations preferably take the form of eithervoice data communicated by a human trainer utilizing, for example, avoice-over-IP (VoIP) connection to portable training device 12, or apredetermined data command representing an audio message. In the formercase, training input manager 186 exports the audio data directly toaudio presentation module 192, which, in turn, directly presents theaudio data to athlete 14 via headphones 122 and/or speaker 82. If,however, the training recommendation takes the form of a data commandrepresenting an audio message, training input manager 186 locates anaudio track within audio storage 66 or internal memory device 62corresponding to the data command and presents the audio track to audiopresentation module 192 for subsequent presentation to athlete 14. Inthis manner, a remote trainer, who may be stationed at client computersystem 44, may provide training recommendations directly to athlete 14in substantially real-time. And, if portable training device 12 isequipped with a microphone 68, athlete 14 may similarly communicateaudibly with the remote trainer (e.g., via VoIP) through the executionof annotation reader 164 data formatter 170, data compressor 172 andupload manager 174.

Audio presentation module 192 is also preferably equipped to present, inaudio format, turn-by-turn directions correcting the course of anathlete 14 to return to a route if a turn is missed, as well asturn-by-turn directions providing the most direct return path to thestarting point. Such tarn-by-turn directions are preferably computed byserver computer system 42 based upon real time location informationreceived over-the-air from portable fitness device 12 and thentransmitted to portable fitness device 12, again utilizing over-the-aircommunication via the wireless WAN. Audio presentation module 192 mayalso be utilized to decode and present audio entertainment tracks, suchas the MP3 files stored within audio storage 66.

As further depicted in FIG. 2B, portable fitness device client 154includes a visual presentation module 190 that manages the presentationof route, performance and environmental information to athlete 14 viaoptional display 84 and/or the display of watch 126. It should be noted,however, that it is presently preferred to present data of all types toathlete 14 during the course of a fitness activity in audio format sothat the concentration and attention of athlete 14 is not diverted fromtraining efforts.

Finally, route publication manager 194 of portable fitness device client154 supports the sharing of routes between multiple portable fitnessdevices 12, for example, utilizing the local wireless interface 110, WANwireless transceiver 104, or data port 108. In this manner, an athlete14 can directly share selected routes (e.g., as identified utilizinginput buttons 80) to other athletes having compatible portable fitnessdevices 12.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is depicted a layer diagram of anexemplary software configuration of server computer system 42 of FIG. 1that, in accordance with the present invention, provides an automatedweb-based route generation, route journaling and route visualizationservice. The service may be restricted to users that have been issuedlogin IDs and passwords, and may further be offered in exchange for asubscription fee.

As shown, at the lowest layer the software configuration of servercomputer system 42 includes an operating system (OS) 210, which ispreferably one of the commercially available operating systems, such asWindows, UNIX, LINUX, AIX, etc. OS 210 has an associated applicationprogramming interface (API) 212 though which middleware and applicationprograms may access the services of OS 210.

Running on top of OS 210 is a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) server214, which, as is well known in the art, communicates data over Internet40 utilizing HTTP. In particular, HTTP server 214 supports datacommunication with portable fitness device 12 and one or more remoteclient computers 44 utilizing HTTP. Communication with server computersystem 42 may alternatively or additionally be conducted utilizing asockets layer interface or other lower layer protocol running over IP.

In addition to HTTP server 214, the application software of servercomputer system 42 includes a number of different modules supporting theclient-side functionality provided by portable fitness device client154. In the depicted embodiment, these modules include a routegeneration and publication module 220, a data recorder module 226, and avisualization module 230. Those skilled in the art will again appreciatethat alternative or additional modules may be implemented within servercomputer system 42 in order to provide or extend the described oradditional functionality.

Route generation and publication module 220 generates routes to betraversed by athletes 14 during fitness activities, stores the routeswithin route database 52 (FIG. 1) for subsequent access, and downloadsthe routes to portable fitness devices 12. In a preferred embodiment,route generation and publication module 220 includes a route wizard 222,which, as described below with respect to FIG. 4A-4F, guides a userthrough a step-by-step process for generating routes having desiredparameters and attributes. As shown in FIG. 3, route generation andpublication module 220 preferably accesses a local or remote mapdatabase 224 that stores street and/or trail information in associationwith at least latitude and longitude information, and preferablyelevation information. Thus, given at least one terminal point (e.g., astarting point), route generation and publication module 220 is able toconstruct one or more routes having a desired length, elevation profile,and other parameters and attributes. Routes generated by routegeneration and publication module 220 are stored for subsequent accesswithin route database 52.

Once a particular route is scheduled by an athlete 14 as discussedfurther below, route generation and publication module 220 transformsthe route into a sequence of turn-by-turn instructions and publishes theroute to a portable fitness device 12 via HTTP server 214 and thewireless WAN. Because route generation and publication module 220 canobtain elevation information along a desired route directly from mapdatabase 224, route generation and publication module 220 is also ableto advantageously supply, in conjunction with a route, elevationinformation for the route. In this manner, the elevation informationsupplied by route generation and publication module 220 can assist orreplace the elevation information provided by GPS receiver 100. Thus, ifless than four GPS satellites 20 are acquired, or if GPS receiver 100 isnot designed to process elevation information, portable fitness device12 can still determine elevation-dependent route and performance dataregarding a route traversed by athlete 14.

Data recorder module 226 receives route and performance information fromportable training device 12 via the wireless WAN and/or local wirelessinterface 110 and/or data port 108 and utilizes such data to build avirtual training journal for athlete 14 within training journal database54. As noted previously, depending upon the operation of the uploadmanager 174 and route and performance recorder 176 within portablefitness device client 154, data recorder module 226 can build a journalentry describing the traversal of a particular route in substantiallyreal time (i.e., during traversal of the route). Data recorder module226 also preferably supports an interface through which a route recordedby data recorder module 226 can be exported to route database 52 forsubsequent viewing, selection and scheduling within a user's trainingjournal.

The exemplary software configuration of server computer system 42finally includes visualization module 230. Visualization module 230supports one or more interfaces through which users of remote clientcomputer systems 44 can view and/or annotate the data recorded withintraining journal database 54 by data recorder module 226. In thedepicted embodiment, visualization module 230 includes training journalinterface 232, which, as described in detail below, permits an athlete14 to view and/or annotate a journal entry describing a route traversedduring a fitness activity after completion of the route taversal. In apreferred embodiment, visualization module 230 further includes areal-time interface 234 through which a user at a remote client computersystem 44 may view, in substantially real time, data logged withintraining journal database 54 for one or more athletes. Thus, forexample, a spectator having access to Internet 40 can view the real-timestandings of multiple competitors in a fitness activity, such as amarathon, cycling race, or other competitive event. Similarly, aremotely located trainer having access to Internet 40 via a clientcomputer 44 can view the progress of one or more athletes 14 engaged inone or more training activities in substantially real time.

Visualization module 230 also preferably includes support for the exportof selected journal entries between accounts of different users of theback-end service provided by server computer system 42. For example,visualization module 230 preferably permits a user to transmit a journalentry representing a traversal of a route via email. In addition,visualization module 230 may permit a user to create a “buddy” accountthat may be accessed and even annotated by guest users. In this manner,if the services provided by server computer system 42 are provided for asubscription fee, marketing of the service is enhanced by the ability ofnon-subscribers or subscriber having reduced-cost subscriptions to viewjournal entries created by exercise partners.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4F, there are illustrated a sequence ofgraphical user interface (GUI) windows presented by route wizard 222 toa user of client computer system 44 by HTTP server 214. As noted above,route wizard 222 provides a graphical and intuitive interface throughwhich a remote user can automatically build, search for, and/or scheduleroutes to be traversed during a fitness activity.

In order to access route wizard 222, a user stationed at a remote clientcomputer system 44 first logs into server computer system 42 viaInternet 40 and HTTP server 214. As is well known to those skilled inthe art, the login process typically includes the entry by the remoteuser of a login ID and password or other authentication information toserver computer system 42, which then authenticates the identity of theuser by reference to the user database or the like.

Following the preliminary authentication process, an exemplaryembodiment of route wizard 222 first presents a graphical user interlace(GUI) window 250 to the user. Within GUI window 250, the user isprompted to select one of three options 252, 254 and 256, which are eachassociated with a respective one of radio buttons 258 a-258 c. Thus, theuser is permitted to build a new route (option 252), search for anexisting route within route database 52 (option 254), and access one ormore routes within a pre-packaged training plan (option 256). After theuser has indicated a preference among options 252-256 by selecting oneof radio buttons 258 a-c utilizing cursor 262 or a keyboard, the userselects Next button 260 to proceed to the next step.

If the user selected option 256 indicating that the user desires toselect a pre-packaged training plan, route wizard 222 may subsequentlypresent the user with one or more additional windows in which a trainingplan meeting the user's needs and desires is designed. Route wizard 222then automatically populates the training journal of the user with aschedule of fitness activities that conform to the distance, time and/orother parameters of the training plan. Thereafter, the user may bepermitted to build or search for routes within route database 52 asdescribed below with respect to FIGS. 4B-4F in order to fulfill therequirements of the scheduled fitness activities.

Assuming that the user selects option 252 of GUI window 250 in order tobuild a new route, route wizard 222 next presents to the user the GUIwindow 270 shown in FIG. 4B. As shown in FIG. 4B, window 270 includes anumber of GUI components prompting the user to enter parameters for thenew route to be built and, optionally, desired attributes of the route.

Specifically, the user is first prompted in section 272 to designate astarting point of the route (which in this embodiment is also the endingpoint) by entering a street address or ZIP code or by selecting a routewithin route database 52 having the desired starting point. Next, theuser is prompted in section 274 to enter a desired overall length of theroute, specified either by distance or by time. If time is utilized tospecify the length of the route, a desired or historical average pace ispreferably entered so that a route distance can be computed. In additionto the route parameters collected in sections 272 and 274, GUI window270 may also prompt the user to enter optional route attributes. In theillustrated embodiment, the optional route attributes include a maximumdistance that the route may extend from the starting point, a desiredelevation profile of the route, a desired pattern of the route, adesired safety characterization of the route, a desired flow of theroute, and whether or not the route may be a pre-existing route storedwithin route database 52.

Once the user has entered all required parameter and any optional routeattributes within GUI window 270, the user selects Next button 280utilizing cursor 262. In response, route generation and publicationmodule 220 builds one or more routes conforming as closely as possibleto the route parameters and route attributes entered through GUI window270. The presentation of such routes by route wizard 222 is describedbelow with respect to FIG. 4E.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, there is illustrated an exemplary embodimentof a GUI window 300 presented by route wizard 222 to a user of clientcomputer system 44 is response to selection of option 254 in GUI window250 of FIG. 4A. That is, in response to a user input indicating that theuser desires to search for a pre-existing route within route database52, route wizard 222 prompts the user through GUI window 300 to enterparameters and attributes of routes of interest to the user.

In the depicted embodiment, GUI window 300 includes two modalities bywhich the user may specify parameters for the route. In particular, insection 302, the user is permitted to specify a location of the route byZIP code or city name. Alternatively, as represented by button 304, theuser may specify a geographic location of the route or routes to belocated by the search through a map interface. For example, if the userselects button 304 utilizing cursor 262, route wizard 222 may presentwindow 320 of FIG. 4D, which is described below.

Still referring to FIG. 4C, in section 306 of GUI window 300, the useris permitted to input into route wizard 222 desired attributes of theroute to be located through the search of route database 52. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the route attributes include arange of route distance, an elevation profile, a route pattern, a routesafety profile, a route flow, and amenities adjacent to the route. Afterthe user has successfully entered a route location and any desired routeattributes, the user may select Next button 308 utilizing cursor 262 toinvoke a search of route database 52 by route generation and publicationmodule 220 to locate one or more routes, if any, characterized by thedesired route location and any route attributes. Assuming routegeneration and publication module 220 locates one or more routes ofinterest within route database 52, route wizard 222 presents the routesto the user through an interface such as that depicted in FIG. 4E, whichis described below.

Referring now to FIG. 4D, there is illustrated an exemplary GUI window320 in which route wizard 222 presents a navigable geographical mappopulated with graphical indications of locations for which preexistingroutes are stored within the route database 52. In the depictedembodiment, GUI window 320 includes a graphical representation 322 of ageographical area, for example, a political, cultural, or regionalboundary. Within geographical representation 322, route wizard 22presents a number of indicia 324 a-h identifying geographic locations ofone or more pre-existing routes for which route database 52 stores routedata.

In response to the user flying over one of indicia 324 utilizing cursor262, route wizard 222 displays in a separate window or frame 330 routemaps 332-336 of the routes in the geographic location corresponding tothe selected indicia 324. Graphical representations 332-336 may beadvantageously presented overlaying a street or topographical map withinwindow 330. If the user visually identifies one or more routes ofinterest at a particular geographical location through visual inspectionof indicia 324 and/or the route maps 332-336 displayed within windows330, the user may select that geographical location by clicking on theassociated indicia 324. In this manner, GUI window 320 and itsassociated functionality provide the user with a graphical and intuitiveway of viewing and selecting route locations of interest.

With reference now to FIG. 4E, there is illustrated an exemplary GUIwindow 350 presented by route wizard 22 in order to permit a user toselect from among one or more pre-existing routes that were locatedwithin route database 52 or that were built by route generation andpublication module 220 in response to the input gathered by route wizard222 within GUI window 270. As shown, in the depicted embodiment proposedroutes that may be selected by the user are presented to the user in theform of route summaries 352 a-c. Although such route summaries 352 maytake any of a number of formats, in one preferred embodiment, each routesummary 352 includes at least a route thumbnail 354 and a route distance356. The route summary 352 may farther include an elevation profile 358,which in the depicted embodiment is illustrated in graphical form, aroute rating 360, and one or more audio or textual reviews or linksthereto 362.

The user has a number of different navigation options from GUI window350. First, by clicking on any of route thumbnails 354, the user is nextpresented with a graphical component through which the user may selector view detailed information regarding the selected route, as describedfurther below with respect to FIG. 4F. Alternatively, the user mayutilize cursor 262 to select Next button 370 in order to view one ormore additional route summaries 352 of additional routes satisfying theuser's route parameters and/or route attributes. In addition, byselecting Back button 372 utilizing cursor 262, the user is presentedwith one or more of the previously described GUI windows in order topermit the user to modify the route location or other route parametersor attributes.

With reference now to FIG. 4F, there is illustrated an GUI window 380presented by route wizard 222 to provide a detailed view of a proposedroute and an interface through which the user can upload route data toportable training device 12 and schedule traversal of the route. In theillustrative embodiment, window 380 includes a detailed route map 382indicating the geographical path of the route. Route map 382 includesterminal points 384 a, 384 b and a route path 386. Route map 382 mayoptionally further include one or more annotations 388 associated with aroute, which may be stored in route database 52 or accessed from mapdatabase 224. For example, in FIG. 4F, route diagram 382 contains anannotation 388 indicating a geographical location of a potable watersource.

By clicking on route path 386 utilizing cursor 262, the user invokesdisplay by route wizard 222 of a marker 390 a, which may then beselectively slid to any desired location along route path 386 utilizingcursor 262. Route wizard 222 preferably displays marker locationinformation 392 in association with marker 390 a to indicate thegeographic location of marker 390 (e.g., the distance between marker 390a and terminal 384 a along route path 386). In addition, route wizard322 preferably displays a corresponding second marker 390 b inassociation with elevation profile 384. In this manner, by manipulatingeither of markers 390 a or 390 b utilizing cursor 262, the user canvisualize the location of particular elevation features or annotations388.

As further shown in FIG. 4F, window 380 further includes a rating of theroute, which in this case includes between one and four “stars” and anindication of a number of reviews. In addition, window 380 mayoptionally include a number of written reviews, for example, displayedwithin text box 402. The user may navigate to a next review of the routeby selecting link 404.

GUI window 380 of FIG. 4F finally includes an interface through whichthe user may invoke the upload of route information pertaining to theroute currently being viewed to portable training device 12. In thedepicted embodiment, the user can invoke upload of the route informationto portable training device 12 by scheduling the route utilizingcalendar interface 406. For example, in order to upload routeinformation pertaining to the illustrated route to portable trainingdevice 12, the user may select a desired date such as Jan. 16, 2004, byclicking on that date within calendar interface 406 utilizing cursor262. In response to this input, route generation and publication module220 enters the route to the athlete's training journal in trainingjournal database 54 as a prospective event and uploads route informationto portable training device 12 via Internet 40 and the wireless WAN.Importantly, in order to conserve data storage capacity within portabletraining device 12, the upload by route generation and publicationmodule 220 is preferably deferred until a selectable time interval ofthe scheduled date. In this manner, route information is provided toportable training device 12 automatically and as needed.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A-C, there are illustrated a series of GUIwindows presented by training journal interface 232 of visualizationmodule 230 of server computer system 42 to permit a user to view,annotate and share training journal entries created utilizing datareceived over-the-air from portable fitness device 12. In order toaccess training journal interface 232, a user stationed at a remoteclient computer system 44 first logs into server computer system 42 viaInternet 40 and HTTP server 214. As is well known to those skilled inthe art, the login process typically includes the entry by the remoteuser of a login ID and password or other authentication information toserver computer system 42, which then authenticates the identity of theuser by reference to the user database or the like.

Following the preliminary authentication process, training journalinterface 232 of visualization module 230 presents GUI window 420 to theremote user via HTTP server 214 and Internet 40. As illustrated, GUIwindow 420 includes a calendar interface 424 through which the user canselect a past, current or future calendar month of interest utilizingcursor 262. An associated list box 422 presents for selection dateswithin the selected calendar month having journal entries withintraining journal database 54 for the specified login ID. Thus, bynavigating utilizing cursor 262, the user can select for viewing journalentries detailing past or real-time routes previously traversed orcurrently being traversed by an athlete 14, or prospective routesscheduled for the athlete 14.

Assuming that the user selects a past journal entry within trainingjournal database 54 from list box 422, training journal interface 232presents GUI window 440 of FIG. 5B, again utilizing HTTP serve 214. Asshown, the journal entry presented by training journal interface 232within GUI window 440 provides detailed information regarding a routepreviously traversed by athlete 14, the athlete's performance,environmental conditions, as well as the athlete's personal comments andannotations.

In particular, the training journal entry presented within GUI window440 includes a route map 442 having terminal points 444 a-b and a routepath 446 showing the geographical path traversed by the route. Asdiscussed above, route map 442 may advantageously be presented as anoverlay of a trail or street map retrieved from map database 224.

The overall performance of athlete 14, in traversing the route depictedin route map 442, is preferably summarized in a performance summarysection 476. As indicated, performance summary section 476 may indicatethe route distance, total elapsed time, average pace, average heart rateof athlete 14, as well as other route and performance information.Weather conditions at the time and geographical location at whichathlete 14 traversed the route may optionally be presented in a weathercondition section 478. For example, weather condition section 478 mayspecify the temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, andprecipitation. The weather condition information presented withinweather condition section 478 may advantageously be accessed byvisualization module 230 from any of the multiple publicly accessibleweather databases available via Internet 40.

The user may interact with route map 442 in a number of ways. Forexample, the user may annotate route map 442 by dragging any of icons460 a-f to a selected location along route path 446 utilizing cursor262. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the user is dragging anannotation 454 representing a potable water source onto route map 442.The uses may alternatively drag callout box icon 462 onto route map 442in order to enter a textual annotation.

In addition, in response to clicking on route path 446 utilizing cursor262, training journal interface 232 displays one or more markers 450 a,452 a along route path 446, preferably in association with one or moreitems of route or performance information (e.g., a distance) for thegeographical location identified by the marker 450 a, 452 a. By addingmarkers 450 a, 452 a in this manner, the user can graphically andintuitively ascertain the geographical location of features of interestand performance and route information at selected locations along routepath 446. Training journal interface 232 may alternatively oradditionally present route and performance information for a selectedgeographical location in response to the user causing cursor 262 to “flyover” the corresponding location on route path 446.

In association with route map 442, training journal interface 232preferably presents other performance information, route information,and/or environmental information in graphical format. For example, inthe depicted embodiment, training journal interface 232 presents anelevation profile 472 a, a heart rate profile 472 b, and a pace profile472 c in association with route map 442. When the user adds markers 450a, 452 a to route path 446, training journal interface 232 automaticallypresents corresponding markers 450 b-d and 452 b-d at correspondinglocations along graphical profiles 472 a-c. As discussed above, all ofmarkers 450 and all of markers 452 are synchronized so that movement ofany of markers 450 moves all of markers 450 movement of any of markers452 moves all of markers 452. In this manner, the user is able tographically and intuitively define an interval over which performance,route and/or environmental information may be viewed. For example, inthe depicted embodiment, interval information is depicted in intervalsection 474, which informs the user of the interval distance, time takenby the athlete to traverse the route interval, average pace over theroute interval and average heart rate over the route interval.

Of course, the particular types of route, performance and environmentalinformation shown in FIG. 5B are not exhaustive and other types ofroute, performance, and environmental information may be captured inassociation with the traversal of a route. If additional route,performance or environmental information is captured in association withthe route, that information is preferably presented in a profile 472,within interval section 474, and/or within overall performance section476 in like manner. For example, GUI window 440 may present informationregarding what pair of shoes 24 the athlete was wearing during thefitness activity, together with a lifetime mileage total for thatspecific pair of shoes 24.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the user mayalternatively or additionally view route, performance and environmentalinformation regarding a previously traversed route in an overlay view inwhich a graphical representation of the route, performance and/orenvironmental information is depicted along route path 446. For example,in the illustrated embodiment, in response to user selection of overlayview button 480 utilizing cursor 262, training journal interface 232presents route map 500 of FIG. 5C in place of route map 442 of FIG. 5B.

Like route map 442, route map 500 includes terminal points 502 a and 502b defining the starting and ending points of a route path 504. Incontrast to route map 442, however, route path 504 of route map 500comprises a plurality of bands 504 a-c, each of which represents arespective route, performance or environmental parameter quantified atthe waypoints recorded along the route. The value of the respectiveroute, performance or environmental parameter is preferably chartedalong route path 504 utilizing gray scale or color shade variation torepresent the instantaneous quantity of the route, performance orenvironmental parameter at each point along the route. Thus, in FIG. 5C,the different hatching applied to each of bands 504 a-504 c represents adifferent color and a varying spacing between the hatches represents thedisplay of the colors at varying levels of intensity along the routepath, depending upon the value of the parameters at each point along thepath. The value associated with each shade of color or each level ofgray scale is generally graphically represented in an accompanyinglegend 506. Training journal interface 232 preferably further presentsinstantaneous route and performance data at any point along the routepath in response to a flyover of cursor 262 or in response to the useradding markers 508, 510 to the route path, as described above. Forexample, in association with the display of marker 508, training journalinterface 232 displays information regarding the traversed distance,relative elevation, heart rate and pace associated with a distance 1.4miles from the beginning of the route.

Returning to FIG. 5B, in addition to supporting user annotation of routemaps 442 and 500, GUI window 440 preferably permits the user to enteradditional information regarding environmental and route conditions andpersonal thoughts. For example, GUI window 440 includes a routecondition section 482 that permits the user to record the surface andtraffic conditions observed along the route, as well as a text box 484in which the user may enter personal reflections about the trainingactivity.

Finally, GUI window 440 preferably includes a GUI component that permitsthe user to review and/or rate the route. For example, in the exemplaryembodiment, GUI window 440 contains a second text box 492 in which theuser can compose a review of the route and a ratings section 494 inwhich the user can award the route between one and four “stars”. Afterthe route has been reviewed and/or rated, the user can select Publishbutton 496, which causes training journal interface 232 to store thereview and rating within route database 52 in association with theroute. In this manner, the review and rating are available for access byother users through route wizard 222, as described above.

Training journal interface 232 preferably permits a user to viewprospective routes that have been scheduled utilizing a similarinterface to that illustrated in FIG. 5B. In particular, in response toa user selecting a journal entry for a future date within list box 422of FIG. 5A, training journal interface 232 presents a journal entrycontaining a route map 442 of the prospective training activity as shownin FIG. 5B. Of course, the journal entry will not contain anyperformance information (e.g., time, pace, heart rate, etc.) because theathlete 14 has not yet traversed the route.

Training journal interface 232 also preferably permits a user to viewroutes currently being traversed in substantially real time through aninterface similar to that depicted in FIG. 5B. In this case, trainingjournal interface 232 presents a journal entry containing a route map442 and a marker 450 a showing the athlete's current location withrespect to route path 446. In addition, training journal interface 232may present a summary section 476 summarizing the athlete's performanceto the current position, a weather condition section 478, an intervalsection 474, and one or more graphical profiles 472. In this manner, aremote trainer or spectator stationed at a client computer system 44 maytrack an athlete's performance information, route information andenvironmental information in substantially real time.

If a user stationed at a client computer system 44 desires to view asubstantially real time view of the activities of multiple athletestraversing a common route, the user preferably logs into real-timeinterface 234 through HTTP server 214. Assuming the user has theappropriate subscription and/or permissions, real-time interface 234builds from the training journals of multiple athletes a web pagecontaining a single route map on which multiple markers, eachrepresenting a respective athlete, are presented. The web page mayfurther present separate performance and route information for eachathlete. In this manner, a remote trainer or spectator stationed at aclient computer system 44 may track performance information, routeinformation and environmental information in substantially real time formultiple athletes traversing the same or substantially the same route.

While the invention has been particularly shown as described withreference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.For example, it will be appreciated that the concepts disclosed hereinmay be extended or modified to apply to other types of configurationentities having different rules than the particular exemplaryembodiments disclosed herein. In addition, although aspects of thepresent invention have been described with respect to a computer systemexecuting software that directs the functions of the present invention,it should be understood that present invention may alternatively beimplemented as a program product for use with a data processing system.Programs defining the functions of the present invention can bedelivered to a data processing system via a variety of signal-bearingmedia, which include, without limitation, non-rewritable storage media(e.g., CD-ROM), rewritable storage media (e.g., a floppy diskette orhard disk drive), and communication media, such as digital and analognetworks. It should be understood, therefore, that such signal-bearingmedia, when carrying or encoding computer readable instructions thatdirect the functions of the present invention, represent alternativeembodiments of the present invention.

In addition, while the present invention has been described with respectto an exemplary software configuration in which software performingcertain functions of the present invention resides on a server computersystem of a service provider (e.g., of a subscription service), thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that, in alternative embodiments,such software may alternatively reside on a client computer system, suchas client computer system 44, and/or on portable fitness device 12.

Furthermore, while the present invention has been described withreference to tracking and visualizing the performance and/or route of anathlete, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the presentinvention may also be applied to tracking and visualizing the locationand movement of other persons, such as children or criminals underelectronic supervision, or objects.

1. A method, comprising: receiving a description of a route of interest to a user; in response to receiving the description, generating a prospective route based on the description; providing a graphical element corresponding to the prospective route to the user; and scheduling a traversal of the prospective route in a user training plan.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving a description at a mobile device.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting data associated with the prospective route from a server to a mobile device.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a sequence of navigational instructions based on the prospective route.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the description includes a route terminal point.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the description includes a route distance.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the description includes a desired route completion time.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the description further includes a user performance parameter.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the description includes an elevation.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the description includes a pattern characteristic.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the description includes a safety characteristic.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the description includes a traffic characteristic.
 13. A method for generating a route of interest to a user, comprising: receiving a description of a route of interest to a user, wherein the description includes at least a desired terminal point; in response to receiving the description, generating a first prospective route based on the description; displaying the first prospective route to the user; and scheduling a traversal of the first prospective route in a training plan of the user.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: identifying a second prospective route based on the description, wherein the second prospective route is stored in a database containing a plurality of routes; displaying the second prospective route to the user; and receiving a selection of one of the first prospective route and the second prospective route from the user.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the description at a mobile device.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the first prospective route at a mobile device.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the description further includes a route distance.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the description further includes a desired route completion time.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein the description further includes a user performance parameter.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein the description further includes an elevation.
 21. The method of claim 13, wherein the description further includes a pattern characteristic.
 22. The method of claim 13, wherein the description further includes a safety characteristic.
 23. The method of claim 13, wherein the description further includes a traffic characteristic.
 24. A computer program product comprising computer-useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, provides route information to a user, the computer program logic comprising: first computer readable program code that enables a processor to receive a description of a route of interest to a user; second computer readable program code that enables a processor to generate a prospective route based the description; third computer readable program code that enables a processor to display a graphical element indicative of the prospective route to the user; and fourth computer readable program code that enables a processor to schedule a traversal of the route in a training plan of the user.
 25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth computer readable program code is stored on a mobile device. 